In 1996, after attending the Evergreen State College for two years, Wozniak moved east to New York, where Marcy Playground began to coalesce around the songs that would become the self-titled album. Bassist Dylan Keefe and drummer Dan Rieser filled out the band's sound, and complemented Wozniak's songwriting. The self-titled album was released in 1997, and Marcy Playground emerged into the mainstream with the success of the single "Sex and Candy." Marcy Playground is quiet and minimalist in tone. Wozniak's songs run in many different styles: some are modern folk music; many have undertones reminiscent of children's songs; the blurred sound of psychedelia makes appearances; and then there are the songs with a clear rock sound. The only band member who contributed to all of the album was Wozniak himself; several others filled in for Rieser and Keefe on some of the songs, notably Jared Kotler (bass and drums).
Marcy Playground's next outing was 1999's Shapeshifter, not as much of a success commercially as the self-titled album.
A minor controversy came to light when Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers revealed on Marcy Playground's website forum that the cover art for Shapeshifter had originally been conceptualized and commissioned by Leary for his band's aborted After the Astronaut album. He admitted to being a fan of Marcy Playground, but accused the band of an apparent lack of imagination and originality. Leary's outrage was eased once he learned that Capitol Records, former home of the Butthole Surfers and then-current home of Marcy Playground, had pitched the artwork to Wozniak as original work from their own art department and that Marcy Playground had no knowledge of the work's origins. Upon learning the truth, Wozniak proclaimed that he was "honored" to have an album cover designed by Paul Leary. There were apparently no bad feelings between the bands once the controversy had been cleared up.
After Shapeshifter, drummer Dan Rieser left the band to pursue other interests. The position was eventually filled on his recommendation by Gonzalo Martinez De La Cotera, a friend whose previous band Lincoln had opened for Marcy Playground.
After a considerable hiatus and at least one failed attempt to record a follow-up to Shapeshifter, Marcy Playground's third album, MP3, was finally released in 2004 with even less commercial success than the two preceding albums.
Marcy Playground did little if any touring in support of MP3. Despite releasing many singles, the band never matched the success of their single "Sex and Candy".
As of July 12'th 2008, John Wozniak posted a blog on MySpace stating his unreleased solo effort is now officially going to be a Marcy Playground record and is going to be released within the next few months along with a separate "Rarities and B-Sides" album. They are still performing live although to their many fans dismay, venues are sporadic. Meanwhile, Keefe has held the job of WNYC radio program On the Media's technical director, a position he left in December 2007.
Dog And His Master
Marcy Playground Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the Johnny and Janes
Hey little boy
You see them all go insane
Look and see Spot run
Cause he pissed in their hallway
Run Spot run
Run away from it all
How I'll be that's up to me
Hey little girl
See them all run around
Hey little girl
You see them all tumble down
Johnny will boss
Janey will buy
Spot will beg
But everyone dies
As I said you can be
Any way that you want to be
How I'll be, that's up to me
One little, two little, three little idiots
Four little, five little, six little idiots
Seven little, eight little, nine little idiots
All in suit and tie
One little, two little, three little idiots
Four little, five little, six little idiots
Seven little, eight little, nine little idiots
All dressed up to die, and I say
You can be any way that you want to be
But how I'll be, that's up to me
The lyrics of Marcy Playground's "Dog and His Master" is a reflection of the society where people conform to certain standards and expectations. It speaks of two children, a boy, and a girl, observing how the adults (Johnny and Janes) act in strange ways, losing their minds and tumbling down. Meanwhile, Spot, the dog, runs away from it all after relieving himself in their hallway. The song reflects that no matter what one does, there will always be others who will judge and criticize them, much like how Johnny bosses people around, Janey buys her way out of situations, and Spot is left to beg. However, the singer reminds us that we don't have to follow society's expectations, and we can be whoever we want to be, although we have to be responsible for our actions.
The song's repetitive lines "you can be any way that you want to be, but how I'll be, that's up to me" is a call to individualism and self-awareness. It suggests that one should not conform to societal norms or the expectations of others. Instead, each individual should be true to themselves and make responsible choices regardless of what others think. The song's chorus, with the counting of the "little idiots" dressed in suits, sounds like a nursery rhyme, which adds to the whimsical and satirical tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey little boy
A child is being addressed
See the Johnny and Janes
The child is being asked to observe others
Hey little boy
The child is addressed again
You see them all go insane
The child is asked to observe others behaving crazily
Look and see Spot run
A dog named Spot is running away
Cause he pissed in their hallway
The dog's bad behavior precipitated his running
Run Spot run
The chorus of the song, warning the dog to run away from his behavior
Run away from it all
The dog is being told to leave it all behind
And I say you can be anyway that you want to be
You have complete freedom to be who you want to be
How I'll be that's up to me
The artist is claiming the power to choose their own path
Hey little girl
Another child is addressed
See them all run around
The child is urged to observe chaotic scenes
Hey little girl
The child is addressed again
You see them all tumble down
The child is asked to observe others falling apart
Johnny will boss
Johnny will take charge
Janey will buy
Janey will spend her money
Spot will beg
The dog will beg for attention
But everyone dies
Life is finite for all living beings
As I said you can be
Reiterating the freedom to be who you want to be
Any way that you want to be
You are free to choose your own life path
How I'll be, that's up to me
The artist is again claiming the power of self-determination
One little, two little, three little idiots
The group being referred to are labeled as foolish
Four little, five little, six little idiots
Further description of the foolish group
Seven little, eight little, nine little idiots
The foolish group is again described
All in suit and tie
The group are being described as formal and uptight
One little, two little, three little idiots
Reiterating the counting of the foolish group
Four little, five little, six little idiots
Further description of the foolish group
Seven little, eight little, nine little idiots
The foolish group is again described
All dressed up to die, and I say
The foolish group is preparing for their own demise
You can be any way that you want to be
Reiterating the freedom to choose your own destiny
But how I'll be, that's up to me
The singer is affirming their right to choose their own path
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN K. WOZNIAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind